Implantable orthopedic devices and the wireless sensors that monitor them are highly specialized products that regularly come into contact with body tissues and fluids. Because of this, each internal part in the product, including adhesive, is required by the FDA to be biocompatible with living tissue to prevent human toxicity.
Recently, University of Tennessee researchers tested four medical-grade adhesives to determine their biocompatibility and reliability levels as an encapsulant of tiny microcantilever-based sensors within a prosthetic for the upper tibia. The sensors accurately measure how a repaired knee joint performs following total replacement (arthroplasty) surgery.